1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of computer systems, and specifically, to a method and apparatus for determining computer system usage profile information.
2. Background Information
In a typical computer, such as a PC-compatible computer, the boot process involves performing various system tests and displaying a basic input-output system (BIOS) information screen. This time period is referred to as power on self test (POST). Once the BIOS completes the POST, it loads a native operating system. The operating system then replaces the BIOS information screen with the operating system""s own display screen. The operating system, such as for example, the Windows(trademark) operating system, displays its own proprietary splash or xe2x80x9ccloud screenxe2x80x9d while the operating system is loading. The display screen shows a static, graphical company logo and product image with an activity indicator. The activity indicator generally shows activity near the bottom of the screen either using color manipulation or presenting a progress bar with color filling to indicate the current progress of the operating system loading.
During the time the operating system is loading, there is no informational content displayed on the screen for the user. Moreover, the time spent loading the operating system is significantly longer then the POST of the BIOS. Consequently, a much shorter duration of time is given to the user to view and read the contents of the BIOS information screen display or other content for viewing by users.
During the time the operating system is loading and/or shutting down, content such as messages with graphics or informational material can be displayed on the display screen for the user. The longer the operating system takes to load and/or shut down, the more content can be displayed on the display screen.
The present invention is a method of determining boot-up time of a computer system. In one embodiment, the method includes retrieving a first time on the computer system, loading the operating system, retrieving a second time on the computer system when the operating system has loaded, and determining a boot time in response to the first and second times.
Other embodiments are described and claimed herein.